The Shepherds of the Tusheti Mountains

Every autumn, a spectacular animal migration takes place in Georgia’s Tusheti region in the northern Caucasus Mountains. Radio Free Europe photographer Amos Chapple recently joined a group of shepherds and their dogs on what he refers to as a “deadly, boozy journey” from the steep mountains to the plains, as they brought their 1,200 sheep down to their winter pastures.

In the villages of Tusheti, summers offer lush green grass for grazing, but autumn comes early to the highlands, and by early October Tusheti’s shepherds round up their flocks and begin to move before winter grips the mountains.#

A group of friends with their 1,200 sheep are some of the dozens of shepherds who spend their summers in the Tusheti mountains. It will take them three days to move from their village down to the safety of the plains.#

They share “chacha,” a viciously strong liquor made from the leftovers of wine production. The shepherds down three shots each. Every swill is accompanied with a toast—to the mountains, guests, and to a friend who died recently on the road they’re about to take.#

The flock stretches along a narrow road. The Georgian Shepherd dogs that help herd them are bred to be the same color and size as the sheep they protect. From a distance, it’s impossible to spot the dogs, meaning all flocks are treated with caution by the wolves which stalk the migration.#

Around 85 percent of each flock is female. The Tusheti sheep are known for their resilience and rich, buttery meat. Their fleece is too coarse to be sold and is usually burned after shearing. The breed carry a wobbly lump of fat above their hind legs which serves as a kind of emergency energy reserve. Each sheep is worth around $60.#

A buffeting wind tugs at the flock as they crest the pass. With no shelter to be had, the flock push ahead. The animals need to get to the relative warmth of the lower altitudes as quickly as possible.#

On the other side of the pass the men turn off the serpentine road and direct the flock straight down the mountainside. The sticks the men use for thwacking wayward sheep come in handy on the risky descent. #

As the sheep pick their way down the mountain face, the weary dogs snatch sleep where they can. Little Georgik is exhausted, and yelps in fright at some of the steeper sections of the mountain. The men help to carry him over the rougher sections of the path.#

After the shepherds make a kind of rudimentary camp, the men get dry as best they can, and countless shots of chacha are knocked back, before they finally curl up into their felt sleeping bags. Little Georgik slinks inside Dato’s sleeping bag. #

With the mountains far behind them, the flock will spend one week grazing on the plains to get used to the mild weather, before continuing around 200 km to their winter pastures on the border with Azerbaijan.#

With the toughest part of his journey behind him, Georgik has a spring in his step once more. Soon though, he will learn that what comes down must go up. In the spring, an even tougher test will be the journey back up into the mountains. By that time he’ll be a fully-grown dog who’ll be too big for much sympathy from the men, and definitely too big to sneak into any sleeping bags.#